Leeds 0–4 Arsenal: Leaders hit the accelerator

Arsenal protected top spot with ruthless certainty at Elland Road, four different scorers crystallising a performance that always felt under their control even with possession split at 50-50.

Match Summary

Martín Zubimendi opened the scoring on 27 minutes, arriving on the edge of the box to finish after Noni Madueke’s burst inside. Madueke then doubled the advantage before the break, capitalising on Leeds’ loose shape seconds after Gabriel Gudmundsson collected the hosts’ only booking. Viktor Gyökeres made it three midway through the second half from Gabriel Martinelli’s reverse pass, and Gabriel Jesus applied the finishing touch on 86 minutes after Martin Ødegaard, on for Kai Havertz, eased the ball through a disordered defence.

Leeds mustered just three shots—only one on target—and never located a route through Arsenal’s press. Declan Rice and Zubimendi held territory with their distribution (56 and 43 passes respectively), while Gabriel Magalhães handled the physical duel with Dominic Calvert-Lewin, winning 10 of 13 contests.

Tactical Overview

Arsenal’s build-up used Zubimendi dropping between the centre-backs, letting Jurriën Timber advance and pin Leeds’ left flank. Madueke’s dribbles (six attempted, four completed) forced Gudmundsson to narrow, exposing the byline for Piero Hincapié and later Martinelli. Declan Rice set the tempo in midfield, hitting three key passes and screening transitions when Leeds tried to break through Jayden Bogle.

Leeds began in a compact mid-block, yet their first pass out was repeatedly intercepted; Rice and Havertz closed the pivot, while Gyökeres split the centre-backs, preventing easy diagonals. Half-time changes—James Justin and Ilia Gruev—shifted the full-backs higher but only stretched Leeds’ lines. Once Ødegaard and Martinelli entered, Arsenal recycled possession with greater tempo, turning counters into settled waves of pressure.

Key Performers

• Martín Zubimendi: 90 minutes, 33 completed passes, three shots (two on target), one goal.
• Declan Rice: 56 passes (45 accurate), three key passes, two tackles.
• Gabriel Magalhães: Captain on the day, 13 duels with 10 won, one shot on target.
• Noni Madueke: Goal plus assist, four successful dribbles before withdrawal on 61 minutes.
• Gabriel Jesus: Played 14 minutes, four shots (three on target), late fourth goal.

Leeds’ Perspective

Daniel Farke’s side leaned on Anton Stach’s industry—four tackles, eight duel wins—but created an expected goals figure of just 0.15. Their back line successfully contested several aerial balls, yet the midfield could not progress play (Ilia Gruev managed only 18 accurate passes after the break). Without width or tempo, Leeds finished with their heaviest home defeat of the league campaign.

Statistics

• Goals: Leeds 0 – 4 Arsenal
• Shots (on target): 3 (1) – 14 (8)
• Expected Goals (xG): 0.15 – 2.19
• Possession: 50% – 50%
• Corners: 4 – 12
• Passes (accurate): 395 (316) – 395 (313)
• Fouls: 10 – 7
• Yellow Cards: 1 – 1

Looking Ahead

Arsenal move to 61 points, five clear of Manchester City for now, and the emphasis will be keeping that rhythm through the upcoming fixture run. For Leeds, still 15th, attention turns to stabilising a defence that has leaked 46 league goals; tightening the midfield distances is the immediate order before their next outing.